The Luftwaffe in Colour: The Victory Years, 1939–1942

This remarkable work pulls the lid off one of the legendary air forces in history at the very peak of its power-unveiling the men and machines as they truly existed day-to-day, underneath the propaganda of their own regime and the scare stories of their enemies. In Hitler's Germany, colour photography was primarily co-opted for state purposes, such as the military publication Signal, or the Luftwaffe's own magazine, Der Adler (Eagle). But a number of men had cameras of their own, and in this painstakingly acquired collection, originally published in France, we can witness true life on Germany's airfields during the period of the Luftwaffe's ascendancy. Thus not only do we see famous planes such as the Me-109, Ju-87 or He-111, but the wide variety of more obscure types with which the Germans began the war. The array of Arados, Dorniers, Heinkels - not to mention elegant 4-engine Condors - that were initially employed in the war are here in plain sight and full colour, providing not only an insight into WWII history but a model maker's dream. Just as fascinating are the shots of the airmen themselves, along with their groundcrews - full of confidence and cheer as they bested every other air force in Europe during these years, with the single exception of the RAF's Fighter Command in late-summer 1940. But that was no big stumbling block to the Luftwaffe, which had bigger fish to fry in Russia and North Africa the following year. In the authors' next work, 'The Years of Defeat', we will see how the war turned more grim for the Luftwaffe, even as its expertise and skill at more deadly aircraft designs, increased. In 'The Victory Years' we have a uniquely intimate view of an air force at the very apex of its capabilities. 300 photos

About the Author :
Christophe Cony who lives in France is a well-respected World War II aviation historian who has worked on numerous books and magazine articles for the leading French military aviation publisher, Lela Press. He is the co-author of Luftwaffe in Colour Volume 1: The Victory Years 1939-1942. Jean-Louis Roba, who lives in Belgium, is a well-respected World War II aviation historian who has worked on numerous books and magazine articles for the leading French military aviation publisher, Lela Press. He is the co-author of Luftwaffe in Colour Volume 1: The Victory Years 1939-1942.

Review :
...Being in colour, camouflage is seen, as are markings, very useful to the aircraft modeller. From origins, through development of the German air arm, the phoney war, Blitzkrieg, expansion south & east and North Africa; Fighters, bombers, transports, floatplanes, trainers are all covered in this book. An excellent publication that should prove popular with the Luftwaffe enthusiast. Highly recommended to Luftwaffe modellers. I highly recommend Luftwaffe in Colour: The Victory Years to anyone with an interest in the World War II German aircraft. The colour photos are a valuable modelling resource that will also help with the interpretation of black and white images of similar subjects…highly recommended. This is an essential book to have on your shelf to use for Luftwaffe colour references. In one single book you get valuable content, which might influence your next modelling work. Let's hope that we will see a continuation of this series. This is a book to keep close to hand for reference, to dip into constantly. The authors have done an outstanding job. Both volumes are a fantastic addition to your aviation library. The reproduction quality is superb...these two are up there with the best. ...this is a super collection of images and a real pleasure to see them in colour rather than the more common black and white pictures from the period. Recommended reading for February 2017. The colour photos are a valuable modelling resource that will also help with the interpretation of black and white images of similar subjects…highly recommended. An amazing collection of brilliant colour photographs - there have been many part works of the second world war in colour, and there is colour footage on some of the archival newsreels, but this is first-class, and quite unexpected. The quality of the photography is quite stunning!